The present invention relates to improvements in a carpet cleaning process, including the provision of methods to improve the odor and cleanliness of carpet that retains malodor and soils. The invention also includes deodorizing compositions for use in combination with carpet extractors for cleaning and removing odors from carpet, especially concentrated additive compositions that can be used selectively with carpet extractors, as well as articles of manufacture comprising said compositions in association with instructions for practicing the method and/or obtaining the benefits that can be derived from the method. Preferably the compositions restore and/or maintain the freshness of carpet by reducing malodor.
Typical carpet cleaning methods remove or mask some odors from carpet containing relatively low levels of malodors. However, when the carpet has relatively high levels of malodorants, or when the carpet contains certain malodors such as those from pet soils, incontinent odors, regergitated food, general food spills, mold, or mildew, there is sometimes a lingering malodor that is not removed or masked by typical carpet cleaning methods. This lingering malodor is different from malodor that is present in some detergent compositions, or is generated after cleaning the carpet, e.g., by antimicrobial action, or which thereafter becomes attached to the carpet and is sometimes accompanied by the presence of large amounts of attached to the carpet and is sometimes accompanied by the presence of large amounts of hydrophobic soils, e.g. greasy soils. This problem has not been generally recognized, since the general expectation is that the typical carpet cleaning process removes all odors. In such cases where malodor persists after a typical carpet cleaning process, consumers tend to clean the malodor-containing area of carpet a second, or even a third time. This creates excessive wear on the carpet, especially in the specific area containing the malodor, and can result in an uneven appearance in the carpeting, due to uneven wear and tear. Using more detergent for cleaning carpet is usually undesirable, since that may cause the carpet to have detergent remaining in the carpet, which can alter the texture of the carpet. Also, excess detergent remaining on the carpet can cause resoiling of the carpet to occur.
Cyclodextrin has been used to control odors from detergent compositions, to protect perfumes in detergent compositions, improve the solubility of compounds like nonionic surfactants to improve their removal, and like dyes to prevent their transfer to other fabrics by keeping them suspended.
The present invention relates to solving problems associated with having a malodor embedded in carpeting, especially malodor remaining after a typical carpet cleaning process is completed, preferably by the addition of cyclodextrin to help remove/control the malodor, or, less optimally, provide other odor control agents, like odor blockers or materials that react with the malodors or mask the malodors. The preferred approach uses those materials that result in the removal, or tying up of the malodor. In the preferred methods, the present compositions are used as additives in combination with a carpet extractor, and optionally in combination with a detergent composition for cleaning carpet, since the majority of soiled carpets do not have the problem and since many of the materials that can neutralize the malodor have their own problems. Cyclodextrin tends to react with perfumes, and surfactants when incorporated in detergent compositions and the level required for malodor control is very high. Odor blockers, when used at the high levels needed for malodor control, block the desirable odors of perfumes as well as the malodors. Similarly, the masking compounds block other desirable odors and reactants can destroy desirable odors.
As stated before, in general, provision of such odor control agent in a detergent composition for cleaning carpet is not particularly efficient, since for some soiled carpets the deodorization benefit is not needed. Also, the level of many ingredients needed to provide good malodor removal/elimination is usually quite high, even for those odor control agents that are really effective. Selection of the best odor control agent can provide superior results. It is important to avoid the inclusion in the additive compositions of high levels of materials that interfere with the portion of the carpet cleaning process where the additive is used. For example, large amounts of acid materials usually hurts detergency by lowering the pH of the cleaning solution.
The present invention generally encompasses a method of deodorizing and/or reducing malodor in carpet comprising the steps of:
(a) diluting a concentrated deodorizing composition with water to form a diluted deodorizing composition, preferably comprising from about 0.01% to about 20%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 10%, more preferably from about 1% to about 4%, by weight of said diluted deodorizing composition, of odor control agent, preferably selected from the group consisting of cyclodextrin; odor blocker; aldehydes; flavanoids; metallic salts; and mixtures thereof; and
(b) contacting said carpet with said diluted deodorizing composition;
wherein the concentrated deodorizing composition typically comprises:
(A) an effective amount of odor control agent to provide a significant reduction in malodor that exists in carpet, particularly malodor that survives a typical carpet cleaning process, wherein said odor control agent is selected from the group consisting of:
(i) an effective amount to absorb malodors, typically from about 0.1% to about 50% by weight of the composition, preferably from about 0.5% to about 20%, more preferably from about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition, of solubilized, uncomplexed cyclodextrin;
(ii) an effective amount of odor blocker typically from about 0.0005% to about 1% by weight of the composition, preferably from about 0.001% to about 0.5%, more preferably from about 0.005% to about 0.2% by weight of the composition;
(iii) an effective amount of class I and/or class II aldehydes typically from about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of composition, preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.5%;
(iv) an effective amount of flavanoid, typically from about 0.01% to about 5%, and preferably from about 0.05% to about 1%, by weight of the composition;
(v) an effective amount of metallic salt, preferably from about 0.1% to about 10%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 8%, even more preferably from about 0.3% to about 5% by weight of the usage composition, especially water soluble copper and/or zinc salts, for improved odor benefit; and
(vi) mixtures thereof;
(B) optionally, an effective amount of water soluble polymer, especially anionic polymer, e.g. polyacrylic acids or their water soluble salts, at a level of from about 0.001% to about 3%, preferably from about 0.005% to about 2%, more preferably from about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of the composition, for improved odor control benefit;
(C) optionally, an effective amount to improve acceptance of the composition, typically from about 0.03% to about 2%, preferably from about 0.1% to about 1%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 0.5%, by weight of the composition of a solution, emulsion and/or dispersion comprising perfume in addition to said odor blocker, class I aldehydes, class II aldehydes, and/or flavanoids, preferably containing at least about 50%, more preferably at least about 60%, and even more preferably at least about 70%, and yet still more preferably at least about 80%, by weight of the perfume of perfume ingredients that have a ClogP of greater than about 3, preferably greater than about 3.5 and a molecular weight of greater than 210, preferably greater than about 220, and/or the particle size of said emulsion or dispersion preferably being large enough that it cannot be complexed by said cyclodextrin, when cyclodextrin is present, and where such perfume can, but preferably doesn""t, mask malodor, said perfume, when present, being in addition to said odor blocker, class I aldehydes, class 11 aldehydes, flavanoids, and/or metallic salts;
(D) optionally, but preferably, an effective amount to improve the performance of the composition, preferably from about 0.01% to about 8%, more preferably from about 0.1% to about 4%, and even more preferably from about 0.5% to about 3%, by weight of the usage composition, of cyclodextrin compatible surfactant that preferably provides a surface tension of from about 20 dyne/cm to about 60 dyne/cm, preferably from about 20 dyne/cm to about 45 dyne/cm;
(E) optionally, at least about 0.01%, preferably at least about 0.05%, and to about 10%, preferably to about 5%, by weight, of a soil suspending agent such as a water-soluble substituted or unsubstituted, modified or unmodified polyalkyleneimine soil suspending agent, said soil suspending agent comprising a polyamine backbone;
(F) optionally, an effective amount, to kill, or reduce the growth of microbes, of water soluble antimicrobial active, preferably from about 0.003% to about 2%, more preferably from about 0.01% to about 1.2%, more preferably from about 0.1% to about 0.8%, by weight of the concentrated solution of water soluble antimicrobial active, and said antimicrobial active preferably being selected from the group consisting of halogenated compounds, cyclic nitrogen compounds, quaternary compounds, and phenolic compounds;
(G) optionally, but preferably, from about 0.01% to about 5%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 2%, and even more preferably from about 0.1% to about 1%, by weight of the usage composition of low molecular weight polyol;
(H) optionally, from about 0.001% to about 1%, preferably from about 0.01% to about 0.3%, more preferably from about 0.02% to about 0.1%, by weight of the usage composition of chelating agent, e.g., aminocarboxylate chelator;
(I) optionally, at least about 0.001%, preferably at least about 0.01%, by weight of the composition, of a brightener;
(J) optionally, an effective amount of solubilized, water-soluble, antimicrobial preservative, preferably from about 0.0001% to about 0.5%, more preferably from about 0.0002% to about 0.2%, most preferably from about 0.0003% to about 0.1%, by weight of the composition; and
(K) aqueous carrier that optionally can contain up to 20% of a lower molecular weight, water soluble alcohol;
said composition preferably being essentially free of any material that would soil or stain carpet under usage conditions, and/or preferably having a pH of more than about 3, more preferably more than about 3.5, and preferably less than about 13, more preferably less than about 12, and said composition preferably being packaged in association with instructions to use it to counteract malodors and/or use it in combination with a carpet extractor, and/or a detergent composition for cleaning carpet, to reduce malodor in carpet, optionally identified, in particular those malodors that remain after a typical carpet cleaning process, said composition being suitable for use in a carpet cleaning process in combination with a carpet extractor, and optionally in further combination with a detergent composition for cleaning carpet, and containing only low levels of acidic materials and preferably being essentially free of detergent enzymes and/or nonionic surfactants that interact with cyclodextrin, when cyclodextrin is present.
The present invention more specifically relates to a method of deodorizing carpet comprising the step of contacting the carpet with a deodorizing composition dispensed from a carpet extractor.
Another aspect of the present invention encompasses an article of manufacture for deodorizing carpet comprising:
(a) a container;
(b) a deodorizing composition, preferably concentrated, in the container; and
(c) a set of instructions in association with the container comprising an instruction to deodorize carpet by carrying out a method of the present invention;
wherein the set of instructions communicate the benefits of the present methods and use of the present compositions to the consumer.